Month: August 2017

Six years after we met at DTU and I visited her hometown, I had the privilege of attending the wedding of my Danish friend, Mette. While the whole wedding concept is generally comparable to what I’ve seen in the United States, a few traditions stand out as special for a Danish “bryllup.”

It’s good luck for the bride and groom to dance before midnight. “And there’s a risk of that not happening?” I thought. Surprisingly, yes. Mette and Asger led with the first dance at ten ’til midnight, and the dancing continued until 5:30 am, just in time to shut our eyes before the sun flooded the horizon.

While visiting Lauren in Amman for merely a day, she planned delicious cooking class for dinner at a private home-turned-business. Maria teaches Jordanian culinary classes from Beit Sitti, which translates as “my grandma’s house.” It’s her grandma’s house, where she learned to cook, and she pays that knowledge forward in partnership with local women.

We charred the eggplant – known as ‘aubergine’ in Europe / the rest of the world’s English – directly over the flame, then removed the charred skin and diced the flesh directly into the hummus for baba ganoush (also known as ‘moutabal’). Seeing the end result – even photos – makes my mouth water.We prepared the freakeh , an ancient Middle Eastern grain, over the fire, and added a smokey flavor by sizzling some charcoal in oil, using a foil lining inside the pot. The host chefs slow cooked the chicken for three hours before our arrival; their seasoning advice includes: two half onions, salt, pepper, vinegar, ginger, and all spice.Going beyond the freakeh, chicken, and moutabal, two other dishes completed the dinner plate, with a side of pita (also homemade, mixed by yours truly). We prepped the ‘galayet bandora’ from perfectly ripened tomatoes on the outdoor stovetop, and the cucumber yogurt salad was just that plus yum.Were you worried that I forgot dessert? I would never! Knafeh (‘kuh-nuh-fuh’) rounds out every great meal in the Middle East, and you’ll find fresh platters as large as your bed in some markets. The knafeh “dough” – seen in the foreground – is thinner than angel hair pasta. After it soaked in water overnight, we strained the akkawi cheese repeatedly under running water to reduce the saltiness. Tradition serves knafeh warm from the oven, drizzled with sugar water.

a quote to remember

"The most dangerous worldview is the worldview of those who have not viewed the world.” / “Die gefährlichste Weltanschauung ist die Weltanschauung derer, die die Welt nie angeschaut haben.”

— Alexander von Humboldt

"In German, homesickness and wanderlust are twinned words - heinweh, aching for home, and fernweh, aching to be away. In a sense there are two kinds of trips: leaving home and coming home." - NYTimes: The accidental circumnavigator